


The Giant F-bomb (No, Not That One)

by happyaspie



Series: Tony Stark is a Good Mentor [35]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Arguments, Arguments That Lead to Revelations, But That's Not Really News..., Domestic Fluff, Family Feels, Father Figures, Father-Son Relationship, Feels, Fluff, Good Friend Ned Leeds, Happy Ending, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Late Night Conversations, Light Angst, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark Coparenting Peter Parker, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Ned Leeds is the Reasonable Friend Here, Not Canon Compliant, Parent Tony Stark, Parental Feels, Peter Parker Loves Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Thinks He's in Trouble, Peter Parker is a Mess, Platonic Cuddling, Precious Peter Parker, Stark Tower, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Loves Peter Parker, Tony Stark Makes a Good Dad, Tony Stark is Good With Kids, Tony Stark is a Good Mentor, and He Probably is but Not For What He Thinks He's in Trouble For
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:14:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22162384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happyaspie/pseuds/happyaspie
Summary: Peter slips up.  He slips up big time.  What should have been a mild argument turned into something much bigger when the words'You're not really my father',slipped out of his mouth without thought.  He had no idea what to do or what to say after that so he ran.  However, Tony wasn't going to let him hide forever... they needed to talk.
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Tony Stark is a Good Mentor [35]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1397362
Comments: 35
Kudos: 505





	The Giant F-bomb (No, Not That One)

Peter's current situation left him standing in the dark between two buildings huffing out little puffs of air as the damp coolness of the bricks began to seep through the t-shirt he was wearing. He could hear his name being called in the distance but judging by the way the volume was escalating he figured he had about two minutes until he needed to dash to another hidden location. Not that there were any good ones to choose from. Not when it was Iron Man who was chasing you. He was just annoyed that he didn't have his spider-suit with him. He would have much better chances of breaking away if he did but unfortunately this entire debacle was a _Peter_ problem. 

The day had started out nice. School went well, he aced his math test, Flash didn't harass him and the lunchroom served both Meatball subs and juice pops that day. It was like some sort of blissful break from all of the drudgery and drivel that his non-vigilante self had to put up with on a daily basis. The feather on his metaphorical cap had come when Tony had texted him and let him know that he would be picking him up. Being as it wasn't a scheduled lab day he'd been elated to be invited to spend some extra time with the man.

Not that spending extra time with Tony was anything new. He'd long since stopped calling the man 'Mr. Stark' and the hero worship had worn off well before that. If anything there time together felt normal and effortless as if they'd known each other for their entire mutual existence rather than a little over a year. Maybe that was the problem. He's gotten a little too comfortable with the genius billionaire turned mentor. He'd not yet had time to properly think it all through before he had to make another mad dash. If surreptitiously climbed over the barrier dividing the alley, he could maybe make it to Ned's before he was caught.

One quick glance up and down the lane to triple check that there were no cameras, Peter hurriedly peeled himself off of the moist wall and leaped up over the fencing. His foot slipped slightly due to the drizzle that was misting the area but he managed to be completely out of sight by the time the sleek black audio slowly drove past. Finally feeling like he was home-free, he ran just as quickly as he could, without causing suspicion towards a familiar house that would grant him sanctuary.

"Ned. Ned. Come on man, wake up and let me in.", Peter rapidly pleaded as he rapped upon the window that led to his best friend's bedroom. It was after eleven and he could see that the other boy was asleep. Under any other circumstances, he would have felt bad about interrupting his night but he was still slightly panicked and going home wasn't an option. Tony knew where he lived that was probably the first place he looked after he took off into the night. 

Eventually, Ned stirred and clumsily crawled out of bed to unlock his window and let his friend inside. "Dude. What are you doing? Are you okay? What happened?", he asked with trepidation. Had Peter been in his spider-suit there would have been far fewer questions. Showing up in jeans a t-shirt and no jacket when it was forty degrees and raining outside was bound to lead to some concern. 

The second he was inside, Peter pulled the saturated T-shirt over his head and replaced it with one of Ned's before wrapping himself up in a spare blanket, still shivering. "I've really done it now, Ned. Tony's going to kill me. You can't tell anyone I'm here.", he whispered, not willing to accidentally alert Ned's parents or siblings of his arrival. He was sure that May knew he'd run off by now and he was certain she would be looking for him as well.

"What could you have possibly done to make him want to kill you.", Ned asked dubiously. 

As he furiously shook the little drops of water out of his hair, Peter brought his lips together in a tight frown. "I screwed up. I dropped the giant F-bomb while he was yelling at me.", he said and Ned looked at him with an expression that seemed to read ' _Why are you overreacting about this._ ' 

"Dude, you're sixteen. I'm pretty sure he's aware that you know those kinds of words.", Ned flatty replied but after some consideration, he could see why the man might be more than a little miffed about it. Peter didn't typically talk to anyone that way. It had to have been a pretty ugly fight to pull words like that out of Peter's mouth. "I mean it probably wasn't a great idea but it's not death worthy..."

"What? No!", Peter replied in shock one it occurred to him what his friend was thinking. "Not _that one_. The other one. The really big one."

Ned sat on the edge of his bed with his brows knit together in thought for a full minute before shaking his head. "Okay, you are officially cooler than me because I can't think of any other curse words that start with the letter F.", he proclaimed with mild disappointment.

"Ugh. It wasn't like that, man. I called him my father. Well, technically I called him ' _not my father_ ' but by saying that I was implying that I do think of his as my father and now he probably thinks that I'm really weird or, or pathetic or... I don't know.", Peter corrected with a groan. Tony had been giving him a hard time about his grades. Telling him how he should be more focused on his homework than ' _helping little old ladies cross the street_.' He'd bit back, Tony had risen to his volume and after that, the entire conversation had turned into a heated argument surrounding their differing opinions on what his priorities should be. That's when he'd said it. Loud and clear... ' _You don't get to talk to me about responsibilities. You're not really my father!_ ' ... Tony had tightened his jaw and clenched his fist, and he'd run before the man had a chance to say anything. The look he'd received had been bad enough. Just thinking about it made his stomach drop. "...but oh my god you should have seen his face. I'm in so much trouble."

"I don't think you're going to be in _that much_ trouble for that.--", Ned started but Peter who had been incessantly watching the window saw a set of headlights coming down the street and cut him off.

"--Shh! Look out that window. Do you see a black car? Like a really nice one?", Peter hissed through his teeth and watched as Ned peeked through the partially opened blinds. He already knew the answer. The engine was smooth and tell by the way the gravel on the road crunched under the wheels that the vehicle was slowing down.

"Um... yeah?", Ned replied after a few seconds of observation. Then it seemed to strike him what that meant and his chin dropped down to his chest. "Oh my god! Is that him!", he asked in shock and awe.

Completely ignoring the way his friend was still gawking out the window, Peter stood up and frowned. "Dang it! I bet May sold me out and told him I would come here.", he groused as he looked around the cluttered room for somewhere to bury himself. When nothing seemed readily available he grabbed Ned's are in a near panic. "You have to hide me!"

"Why don't you just talk to him!", Ned interjected because he didn't think it was that big of a deal. However, Peter seemed to adamantly disagree.

"Don't be unreasonable and hide me!", Peter stressed and when it looked like his friend was going to be of no help whatsoever, he tried to come up with some ideas. "Should I get under the bed or in the closet?"

Ned cringed at the suggestions. Under his bed was filled with, god knows what and probably not fit for any amount of human habitation, while his closet was a crowded, piled up mess. Glancing around the room he suggested the next best thing, though admittedly, it wasn't much. "Maybe just duck between the dresser and the bed."

As Peter did just that, he could hear the car door open and Tony's feet hit the ground. He was done for. "I'm doomed.", he whispered as Ned dove into his bed and pulled the blankets up over his head.

With his enhanced hearing, Peter could hear Tony whispering his name the moment he was out of the car. "Pete... I already know you're in there. Now, get out here so we can talk.", the man said quietly from the front yard but Peter made no move. He stayed solidly hidden under the blanket beside Ned's dresser.

"Dude, he doesn't sound mad...", Ned quietly observed and Peter shushed him immediately. He wanted to clip back some sort of snarky response but he knew Tony more than like had his HUD glasses on which would mean that he'd already spotted one too many heat signatures in the house. He didn't want to verify his presence by talking, should Tony choose to use any kind of audio reconnaissance mode. Though, perhaps he already had because he wasn't giving up. If anything, the man seemed to be getting more insistent.

"Don't make me wake up the entire neighborhood banging on that door. I'll do it. You know I will.", Tony all but threatened and Peter had to give in. That was literally the last thing he wanted. He really didn't need to be told off by Iron Man with an audience of Ned's family and every single one of his neighbors, so he came out of hiding. Ned gave him one more reassuring look as he stood in front of the window and took a deep breath.

Peter sliding open the window seemed to be enough to inform Tony of his reluctant reappearance because the man had grown quiet long before his feet ever touched the sodden yard. He never looked up as he crossed the distance between himself and his mentor leading him to flinch when a hoodie was immediately pulled over his head. Peter grumbled his thanks and threaded his arms through the sleeves before realizing it wasn't even his. It was much larger than his own and had Stark Industries embroidered across the chest. He didn't have time to question it before a heavy hand was pulling him towards the car. "I'm so sorry--", he started.

"--Not here, Pete. Let's get you warmed up and out of those wet jeans first.", Tony said quietly as he started the car and pulled back out onto the street. The ride back was silent. Not even the radio played in the background but oddly enough, it wasn't uncomfortable. The situation was still awkward and Peter was still apprehensive about the conversation to come but the silence wasn't stiff or suffocating. 

Once they were back at the tower, Tony opened Peter's car door for him and grabbed him by the shoulder as if he would attempt some sort of escape should let go. He wanted to be annoyed by his mentor's insistent grasp but he wasn't. It wasn't like he'd displayed a great show of trust when he literally ran away from the man in the middle of a disagreement. "I'm sorry.", he tried again but this time Tony didn't acknowledge his plea for forgiveness.

"Alright, look, I already talked to May and she's fine with you staying here tonight.", Tony said once they had reached the elevator. Peter wanted to interrupt and ask if he had any kind of say in the matter but he didn't. He was probably in enough trouble already so he simply nodded his head and continued to listen. "When we get home I want you to change clothes and meet me in the living room. FRIDAY's already been instructed to not let you leave again so don't even try it. We need to talk."

It didn't go unnoticed the way the man referred to the penthouse in the tower as though it were his home as well and maybe it was. He had a room there filled with clothes and technology just for him. He'd probably slept in the bed within that room just as many times as he'd slept in the one at his apartment in the last six months. It had felt completely unreal the first time he'd been invited to stay the night there but apparently, now, it was 'home'. He hoped it still would be after they spoke about his outburst.

Peter met Tony on the couch a ten minutes later still wearing Ned's t-shirt and Tony's hoodie but his cold, stiff jeans had been exchanged for warm, soft, Pajama bottoms. He was surprised to see a mug of hot chocolate waiting for him on the coffee table as he sat down on the far end of the long sofa. He lifted it to his lips and savored the way the thick, sweetness coated his tongue and warmed him from the inside out. For a split second, he forgot why he was sitting there at just after midnight, to begin with. Once he remembered he shifted and set the mug down.

"Nope, keep drinking that.", Tony instructed as he nudged the cup back towards Peter's hands. "You were running around in the rain for almost an hour and it's cold."

"It's barely sprinkling.", Peter grumbled under his breath but he didn't even try to deny that it was cold. He was still shivering.

Tony sighed and stood back up to collect a blanket that he draped over Peter's shoulders before sitting back down but this time directly beside his kid. "Look, kid. I know, I know I'm not--", Tony began.

"--I'm sorry", Peter strained over him because he really was. He couldn't help himself from feeling like he'd ruined everything. They had become so close and then he just took it and threw it to the garbage with one irate remark. 

"--Would you stop apologizing for five minutes? I need to say this.", Tony returned with some amount of annoyance but it faded as quickly as it appeared. "I know I'm not your father.", he repeated slowly. He knew that it wasn't his place to step in like that. He'd signed up to be the boy's mentor, nothing more. "I'm not... I'm not trying to insert myself into any kind of role in your life. I just... I care about you, kid. I want to see you safe, happy, healthy and... growing. Not just as a hero but as a person and as a student. I'm sorry I never made that more clear."

Hearing the remorse in Tony's tone just added to the guilt that had already been stewing within Peter's chest. He absolutely thought of the man as something of a paternal figure. He had for a while. The man often acted parental with him. They both knew it even if they had never discussed it but right then suddenly felt like the time to do it. "I know that you care...", he explained without missing a beat because he did know that. That's why he'd said what he's said. He was angry and looking to strike a nerve. As such, he'd made no effort to filter his words. "I was just... mad at you."

"I know and I lost my cool right alongside you.", Tony sadly admitted. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. Again, I know I'm not--", he started to explain but once again, Peter was nearly shouting over him.

"--You kind of are, though, Tony.", Peter rapidly interjected before turning slightly sheepish. "I mean sort of, right?"

When Tony heard the hesitation in the boy's voice he scooted just a little bit closer to him and pulled him into his side as he had so many times in the past. He knew from experience that doing so never failed to relax the kid and this time was no different. He could feel the tension leave Peter's body as he began to run his hand up and down his arm in a soothing manner. "Is that what you want me to be to you?", he asked quietly.

Peter took a deep breath and looked up at his mentor. "You basically _already are_ , you know, _that..._ To me.", he whispered and watch as a smile began to take over the man's neutral features. "I know you and May talk about me. I know that she asked you to talk to me about my grades because she thought I would listen to you more than her. I also know that you two have talked about other things. Like, like rules and stuff. So, I mean basically... aren't you kind of already my other parent?"

"I'm not trying to replace anyone.", Tony said because that was his biggest concern. He didn't want Peter or May, for that matter, to feel like he was overstepping his boundaries. 

Leaning more closely into the man's side, Peter smiled. "You couldn't even if you tried, Tony.", he said with a small laugh, despite the gravity of the conversation. "I know because Uncle Ben didn't replace my dad. He just, sort of... picked up where my dad left off. ...and maybe you didn't even realize it but you've already kind of filled in where Uncle Ben can't anymore."

Nodding his head, Tony moved his hand from the kid's arm to where he could brush his fingers through his hair instead. "I guess I never really thought of it that way. It just--"

"-- _Happened_ ", they said in unison. After that, neither of them said anything for several minutes. Peter soaked up his mentor's attention and thought about how things would be going forward. He had basically invited the man to be a father to him and he could see the way the man's eyes lit up at the prospect. Then he suddenly felt guilty because while having Tony act as his father-figure in the absence of his dad and uncle made him extremely happy, he didn't think he would ever be able to call the man anything other than Tony. Even his uncle had never been referred to as anything other than Uncle Ben. "I'll probably never call you 'Dad' or anything.", he quietly admitted, hoping that wouldn't change anything.

"You don't have to, Pete.", Tony assured. He was just happy to be there for the kid and didn't need him to prove his devotion by adding any more monikers into the mix. "You can keep calling me Tony. ...and I'm going to keep calling you, kid."

"You know, in my head, I call you and May my 'parents' all the time. I won't say it out loud though. I promise. I know you probably don't want anyone to know about...", he began only to pause because he wasn't really sure what to call it. So he just gestured between them with a wave of his hand and finished his thought with a lame utterance of the word, "... this"

Tony laughed and unconsciously leaned over to kiss the top of the boy's head. "I don't care who knows, kid. besides, I think more people know about _this_ than you think.", he added with mirth. Then laughing that much harder when the teenager whipped his head around to look at him with his big brown eyes wide open in shock and curiosity. 

"Like who?", Peter asked in bewilderment. He'd been very careful not to allude to anything other than the fact that he had an internship at Stark Industries. People hardly believed that as it was. He definitely didn't go out of his way to try and broadcast anything else. As far as he was aware, only Ned and May knew exactly how close he actually was the billionaire.

"Like your school.", Tony said right off the bat and when Peter's expression didn't change he chuckled lightly. "Did you not know that May added me to your emergency contacts list?", he asked with humor. While he'd never received a call, his name was right there under May's and had been since the beginning of the school year.

Still somewhat stunned by that revelation, Peter attempted to shake the lingering confusion out of his head. "No...", he replied almost indignantly. That seemed like information he should have been privy too.

"Hmm.", Tony ambiguously replied before moving on to his next point. "Did you know that there are only four people outside of myself who have full and complete access to the Stark Tower... including my living quarters?", He asked and when Peter shook his head he continued. "There are hundreds of people on staff here but only five can go literally anywhere they want. Me, Pepper, Happy, Rhodey... _and you_."

"I guess I never really thought about it.", Peter grumbled but he probably should have. He didn't even require a badge. FRIDAY just let him in and allowed him to go where ever Tony was without question.

"Yeah... so, basically all of Stark Industries and anyone who's seen your paperwork at your school already knows. That and _I might possibly brag about you every chance I get._ ", Tony said with confidence though his tone grew teasing towards the end. He really did brag about his genius mentee every chance he got. How nothing had been leaked to the press was astounding. "I'm surprised there hasn't been some sort of wild expose already. The point is... I don't care if the entire world found out that I care about you. You're a good kid.", he fondly stated but that soft smile soon turned into something a little more serious. "Except for that whole running away from me in the middle of the night nonsense. _I swear to god_ , if you ever pull a stunt like that I'll ground you until you turn thirty. Capisce?"

All Peter could do was blink back at Tony in wonderment. "I think that is the most dad-like thing you've ever said to me.", he replied without thought. He'd, of course, been corrected by the man on numerous occasions but never had he ever threatened to ground him. 

"That is definitely not the answer I was looking for, kid. Were you even listening to me?", Tony asked as he playfully flicked the teenager on the side of his head.

Abruptly realizing that he'd blatantly ignored the request of confirmation after being scolded, Peter was quick to prove that he'd been listening. "I heard you. Grounded until I'm thirty."

"Exactly.", Tony said with a smile even though he hoped it would never come down to that. Hopefully, the kid knew, now that he could run _to him_ instead of away from him when he was afraid, embarrassed or confused. Then with a deep breath, he started to shift so that Peter would have to sit up. "Now, you should get to bed. You have school tomorrow and I expect you to come home with some extra credit assignments."

Feeling the same frustration for earlier in the evening wash over him again, Peter couldn't stop himself from once again raising his voice. "...but what about lab time!", he shouted but this time Tony didn't shout back. He just took a deep breath and explained.

"You get your homework done in time and we'll still be able to mess around before you have to meet May for dinner.", Tony calmly replied before realizing that they'd never actually finished their conversation from earlier. Things had gotten sidetracked when the subject of relations, _or lack thereof_ , had come up. Cringing slightly because he wasn't ready to start another argument, he began to explain the ultimatum he was meant to be giving he kid from the start. "... _and_ there will be no Spider-man until those C's and D's are back up to A's and B's."

"You're taking the suit?", Peter asked with a mixture of horror and misery that made Tony want to give him a hug but he didn't. He did give him a remorseful look before reminding him that he would never take the suit away from him again. He still regretted that. It wasn't a tough-love moment. It was stupid. He just hadn't realized at the time exactly how much danger the kid had actually been in and he wasn't going to allow that to happen ever again. The spider-suit was his kid's protection and link to back-up. 

"No. I want you to have it in case of emergencies. ...but I get to decide what constitutes a real emergency.", Tony said with authority. "No regular patrols. I'm going to trust you not to go behind my back on that."

Peter nodded his head emphatically and got up on his knees so that he could lean over and hug the man as tightly as possible without hurting him. "Thank you.", he whispered as Tony reached around his back and hugged him in return.

"Did you just thank me for punishing you?", Tony asked with a quirk of his brow. He was pretty sure the kid was going to be mad at him all over again. Maybe storm off and slam his door as he would have at his age. 

"No.", Peter said with a small laugh. He was definitely not happy about the lack of patrolling but he was happy that the man not only respected him as a hero but also cared enough about him to not take away access to his only protection should the need arise. "I'm thanking you for... _caring_.", he said as he dropped back down onto the couch.

Tony smiled and reached out to place a hand gently on the side of his boy's face. "Yeah well, as I said, You're a good kid.", he said with affinity before retracting his hand and waving towards the hallway. "Now, off to bed with you. Sweet dreams and all that jazz."

Peter stood up to acquiesce but before he got too far he was turning back around and facing Tony. Then with no thought at all, he leaned down, gave the man one last hug and then kissed his cheek just as he would his aunt before bed. "Good-night, Tony.", he said in such a way that the words 'I love you' were undeniably hidden between the syllables. 

Tony smiled and grabbed ahold of one of Peter's wrists before the boy could run off towards his bedroom. So many unspoken things had already been said that night that he didn't want to leave anything else to be implied. If Peter was okay with him acting as his parent then he wanted to do it right. He wanted to make sure the kid heard all of the things that he wished his father had said to him. Not just the compliments and praise... but the verbal confirmations of affection. He'd not realized that his father liked him let alone loved him until he was well into adulthood and he wouldn't allow any child of his to suffer the same fate. He would make sure Peter knew right that moment so that there would never be any room for doubt. "I love you, Buddy. Have a good sleep."

Peter smiled and backed towards his room before whispering out a small, "I love you too."


End file.
